Remakes and high-definition graphical upgrades are commonplace for the games that defined our 8-bit and 16-bit gaming experiences.

The advent of digital distribution means we've seen fewer old-school complication packs in recent years, but Sega's giving it another go with "Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection," announced yesterday, and containing over 40 classic Sega games.

The press release said the games had been "reproduced with the utmost detail and accuracy to the original games" but could also be displayed at HD resolutions with updated graphics. The screens I saw looked a bit muddy.

So, what if I wanted these games on a single disc but with their original graphical stylings in tact?

Even though the press release didn't say it, Sega confirmed to MTV Multiplayer that "Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection" will include the original visuals, as well.

If you enjoy the HD upgrade, have fun, but if it bothers you, there's no problem, either. Win-win, right?

The gaming news that spread across sites and blogs yesterday was that development studio Raredoesn't plan to address complaints that the text in next week's Xbox 360 game "Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts" is too small to be read comfortably by gamers using standard-definition TVs.

I read this report in many places, but I haven't seen any examples of the problematic text. So I've made some examples, so that you may judge for yourself.

These images are from my review build of the game, running at the highest resolution on my 1080p HD TV, then running on that same TV at 480p and then running on a standard definition set in my office displaying at, at best, 480p. Looking at the shots, I have mixed feelings.

To the disappointment of my friend Matt, I received a high-definition TV for my birthday two weeks ago. And I, a staunch defender of the wisdom of gamers not rushing to upgrade their standard definition TVs, can now see for myself what's really good -- and what's not so good -- about gaming on a 40-inch LCD.

Would anyone mind if I interview myself about this topic?

That way I can explain why I still think switching to HD is overrated, even if it has its benefits. Read More...

"WipEout HD" is, without a doubt, the best looking futuristic racer to arrive on a console since Sega and Nintendo teamed for "F-Zero GX."

I wanted to deliver impressions on Friday, but technical hiccups meant that didn't happen. The extra time paid off, though; I spent the weekend playing through every available race -- there are 14 on the playable code Sony provided us -- and loved almost every minute of it.

Which minutes didn't I love? I haven't really dug into a "WipEout" game since the PS One days, so "WipEout HD" introduced me to the series' severe learning curve all over again.

After sucking up my pride and switching the difficulty to easy, however, "WipEout HD" opened up and I let the game's "Rez"-like audio visual dance take over.